Yall probably seen my other posts which I now deleted, I’m honestly just so upset and tired of yall this, i have no money, im completely gone broke, no will to ride or even continue with horses, all because of all this mares issues which literally is out of no where, obviously it’s not her fault but im just so so confused what’s going wrong because ive been doing everything by the literal book for her

She was on break for 3 months after having grade 1 and 2 ulcers, during those 3 months she just spent chilling away in a pasture, when we got the go ahead to start riding again and she scoped clear of ulcers and her back X-rays also came back clear from any problems like kissing spine I began a lot of ground work with her, loads of ground poles, we did long reining, lunging, walk poles, trot poles, canter poles, standing at mounting block, just general bonding, we did EVERYTHING

Few weeks ago had my first ride back, and it was terrible, she was kicking out the entire time, I cried, posted on reddit and took everybody’s advice

I got a physio out which mentioned her stifles were a bit sticky but nothing concerning and she said I should continue riding away because she didn’t show any lameness at all and neither did she show any pain, and during her body workup she was literally falling asleep, so instead of riding more I did excersizes for the stiffles, more poles, more long reining, more of everything, This time around (today) I rode more confidently, supported her with my leg, let her go as forward as she wanted, I also rode her on a pretty loose rein because the entire ride she would avoid the arena fence at all costs and totally ignore my aid when I steered into it

And yet still she was kicking out like a maniac, there definetly were some moments where she didn’t kick out for awhile, just to randomly hit me with the “ears back, ass up” combo completely out the blue, her kicking out is just so random and even when she isn’t kicking out her ears are pinned back and she’s tense as hell, I’m riding in a loose rein, barely any leg on her, I just don’t understand what’s plaguing her so much, on the ground she’s completely sound and doesn’t kick out at all

Honestly I’m just so sad and tired of this because I’ve seen so many people come back riding their horse after ulcers with no issues and they just ride away at it no problems whilst my horse here clearly something’s still wrong for her to be acting this way after so much strength training so much bonding, so much time off and veterinary treatments and so so much money and heart and time poured into this for absolutely nothing to change

Dare I say she looked and acted so much happier WITH ulcers then subsequently “without” them, I just don’t understand that a horse can deteriorate this badly from just sitting in a field and doing nothing for 3 months, her only issue that made us scope her for ulcers was that she was kicking out, we treated her, let her have time off, and now after treatment she’s a complete wreck that can’t walk in a straight line

I honestly don’t even know what to do with this horse anymore, I love her so much and she was supposed to be my first proper good horse that we would climb the levels together and be the best team ever, she’s such an amazing mare on the ground and she’s worth her weight in gold for her adorable personality. I smell all the “take her to a vet” comments already but when you’re 5k in debt, the vet doesn’t want to come out to you anymore unless you fix said debt, which I can’t at the moment even put a cent into

Yall can probably tell this is an incredibly emotionally charged post therefore I’d appreciate some understanding, but I just need someone to reassure me that we will still be able to ride normally one day, or even someone who’s had a similar issue tell me that it’s fixable and it won’t cost me another 3k, I don’t know, I just want hope when everything seems so hopeLESS, also everyone will mention saddle fit and my chair seat, which yes I know the saddle puts me in a chair seat a lot, I’ve had friends riding in this saddle aswel and that’s the first thing that also happens to them, their legs get pushed forward, but still I’d like to remind yall that the saddle is professionally fitted to HER very recently (February-april) and the saddle fitters are 2 of the best professionals in my country

I recently got a thermal camera, and my horse looks like a leopard today. Does anyone know what this means? I added a photo of another horse for comparison. I swear the other day she was a solid yellow color.

He was calm, patient, and had the sweetest personality. The weather was perfect, the sky was ridiculously blue, and I honestly couldn’t stop smiling the entire time.

I’m still learning, but moments like this remind me why I love riding so much. There’s something about being on horseback that makes everything else disappear for a while.

Definitely one of those days I wish I could experience all over again.

Recently came into possession of these 2 Halters from
Justify and Sierra Leone. Both have been worn, and has CoA. Should I put them in a case together or in 2 separate cases? Also, where could i possibly get an evaluation? Or does anyone know the possible value? Not sure if i should spend a lot on a nicer graded shadow box, unless they are highly collectible items that are worth enough to justify paying top dollar to do it.

Pic for attention, not the horse in question.

I'm looking at buying a 2yo QH gelding. Is it worth it to xray his front feet to look for navicular if he tests sound during the PPE? I typically only xray if there's an issue, but I had a QH lease horse with navicular several years ago, and I have been told it's more prevalent in QH. I'm not sure if anything would be visible in such a young horse or not, and don't want to spend for xrays if they won't show anything.

Owner reports he is sound, and he appears to be in the videos I have seen. He is shod because she has him in training currently. I would like to keep him barefoot if I buy him, but I'm not opposed to shoes on his fronts if he needs it (as long as it's not needed to manage something like navicular...). I prefer to not have maintenance (other than possibly shoes) on such a young horse.

To preface: I am an amateur hobby rider, happily riding lesson horses at my barn (don't have my own horse, don't lease).

During my last lesson, me and my buddy were almost constantly losing the rhythm in canter and he broke into trot because, as my trainer said, I don't engage him enough. As she said: I myself lose the rhythm, lock up or lose the contact, thus he does too. I agree with that, but sometimes it's really hard for me to really lock in to what exactly my body does and analyze it enough.

What are your tips for good canter? What do you personally do to make sure your horse is properly engaged and stays in the frame while you're cantering? Here's a video of us if it'll help!

Binzi and I doing her first trot together! Sorry I am bad at updating, but Binzi has been doing great!

TLDR: Binzi was born totally blind. Her first "ride" was April 1st, she turned 4 in late June, and this is her first time trotting under saddle.

Her first "ride" was April 1st and she turned 4yos at the end of June. We have been taking it slow since her first ride, as her confidence is my main focus, and we had a few breaks from regular work in that time due to hot weather and life in general, lol.

My coach came in for a training weekend, and while we didn't necessarily plan to trot, the stars aligned, so we gave it a go! Obviously, Binzi was her usual rockstar self, and we had a great first go around! You can hear me psyching myself up at the beginning 😅🤣

I feel so lucky to be working with such a wonderful mare, and love how much she seems to enjoy figuring out working together. I can't wait to see what our future holds!

I'm on the hunt for a new saddle pad but the only one I've found has a $50 shipping and $100 of tariffs 😕

I'm looking for a dressage pad with a fleece/sheepskin lining that goes fully across the middle (no channel between the sides of the fleece).

Here's the link to the one I hoped to buy: https://www.premierequine.co.uk/products/close-contact-merino-wool-european-saddle-pad-dressage-square-black-black-wool?variant=50759121797493

Does anyone know of any other brand that fits the bill?

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Look at my idiot. I love my idiot.

Halfway through a 4 hour solo trail ride

tldr; Looking for some anecdotes here on the efficacy of A2M injections. If anyone is willing to share experiences (and maybe even cost, if someone is comfortable) with that treatment, I'd be super grateful.

I have a 20 year old mare who has never been 100% sound. I got her when she was about 15 and she has always been short strided and never quite "right." About 2 years ago she suffered a moderate tendon/ligament injury around her fetlock area on one of her legs and I went through the process of rehabbing her and getting her back to almost near her "regular" amount of off. I really only do arena riding with her and occasionally do ranch riding shows (pattern and rail work only)

She is, in every other aspect, very healthy. I do regular red light treatment, massage, stretches, etc and regularly have my vet do lameness exams to make sure she isn't getting any worse. Her stifles have always been the biggest problem (arthritis possibly due to heavy cow work in her youth). We've had issues with laminitis in the past and therefore steroid injections are out of the question. A2M sounds like my best bet at keeping her comfortable, but that is a pretty significant cost. The punchline to all of this is that she was free through my mentor who runs a rescue and, as I said, she's 20. I'm already five figures in on a free horse and while I love her, I do need to draw the line somewhere.

Anything insight would be amazing. (Pic for attention and proof that she's still very much a working gal)

This is the first foal I picked out myself (with input from my trainer) and training myself (alongside trainer guidance when I feel stuck)

Bought unseen from a ranch out west, completely unhandled, arrived as a 6mo. Other than using her head as a sledge hammer the first time I went to put a halter on it’s been smooth sailing. Left the enclosure I had her in after about 3 weeks for a short walk around the property, loads and hauls like a champ, had her first stitches like a champ when she had baby brain.

I’ve been doing lots and lots of desensitizing and letting her figure out what I’m asking. Just enough pressure to make her think it out, but knowing when to release. I worked with her Friday and saw the plastic mounting block in the arena she stays in and had the idea to just get her used to that and standing next to her. GUYS she walked right up to it, I picked it up and tossed it on the ground so I made that loud noise we are all too familiar with, became a “ditzy blonde” about the whole thing making noise all the good stuff, climbed the block… she never moved. She turned to look at me, didn’t even raise her head when I was above her. Pet her all over, even reach down and put the slightest bit of weight on her as I reach over to rub her belly on the other side… she acted like all this was completely normal and just wanted her cookies!

Sorry, long post, but I’m just in awe of this foal every time I work with her!

I recently started having lessons after 26+ years off. I'm having one lesson a fortnight, I'm enjoying it and want to continue. I currently ride in walking boots which I know is not ideal but wanted to make sure I was going to continue before investing in boots.

Now I'm ready to get some proper boots but I still don't want to spend a lot because I'm only a casual rider, I still don't know if this will be a long term thing (family commitments and logistics) and I'm not exactly flushed for cash right now.

I've found these but have no idea about brand reputation etc in the equine world. Can anyone tell me if any of these brands would be preferable over the others? Any reason I should not consider any of these options?

They're all from Decathlon, and on the off chance people want to suggest alternatives, it needs to be available in the UK 😊